Oyster Habitat Restoration Project Underway

The Nature Conservancy announced the first steps in a three-year effort to design an oyster habitat restoration project along 6.5-miles of shoreline in East Bay near Pensacola, Florida. The Conservancy is partnering with CH2M and Ecology and Environment, Inc., to monitor, design and permit the project, which will help restore a healthy, functioning oyster habitat and restore this critical habitat that has been significantly reduced from its former range across the Gulf’s bays and estuaries.

"Oysters and the reef habitat they form are vital for the health and well-being of our environment, economies, and communities throughout the Gulf of Mexico," said Anne Birch, marine conservation director for The Nature Conservancy in Florida. "The state's restoration of oyster habitat in East Bay will help boost the oyster fishery economy and complements The Nature Conservancy's East Bay project to restore essential oyster reef habitat for species such as fish, crabs and birds. Together we are working to restore this habitat for both nature and people."